Fire-escape apparatus.



M. FISCHER. FIRE ESCAPE APPARATUS.

APPLiOATION FILED MAY 4, 1909 958,583.

Patnted May 17, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SEEP? 1.

114mm: anugul'oz M. FISCHER. FIRE ESCAPE APPARATUS. APPI-IGATION FILED MAY 4, 1909.

0. a m m Km M m m 3 3 lllll ll 1 .m H m 1 n a: 1.1 a a q mw I M W8 T A A u u u clllilvrilr M FISCHER FIRE ESCAPE APPARATUS. APPLIOATION FILED 1909. 958 3 3 Patented May 17, 1910.

3 8HEETS-SHEBT 3.

w A AHMAMXMNM RR 'MORIIS FISCHER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FIRE-ESCAPE ArrARArUs.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented ltfiay 1'3, 191G.

hpplication filed May 4, 1909. Serial No. 493,833.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Moms Fisciin'n, a citizen of the United States of America, re-' siding .in New York, in the borough of Manhattan, county and State of New Y0rk,'have invented cert-ain new and useful Improvements. in Fire-Escape Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improve ments in fire-escape apparatus of that class in which a spring-cushioned and liphOl-i stered mattress, capable of extension in lateral or longitudinal direct-ion, is supported on a platform and moved up to a burning building so as .to permit the escape of persons from a burning building by jumping on the mattress; and for this purpose the invention cons sts of a truck, a platform 4 supported on the same and capable of being raised to a certain height above the truck said platform being provided with a central stationary section and extensible sections and a movable upholstered and springcushioncd mattress, also formed of a central section and hinged extensible sections, said mattress being adapted to be moved in an extended state over the platform close to a burning building so as to furnish a large and soft surface for a person to jum) on from "the windows of the burning buil ing. The platform is raised or lowered in vertical uideways on the trucksby means of suitab le mechanism so as to bring the entire apparatus, after the mattress is folded up the movablc sections of the platform are shifted inwardly under the stationary section, into comparatively sinallsize for transportation.

The invention consists further of certain details of construction which will be fully described hereinafter and finally pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure .1

represents a perspective view of my improved fire-escape apparatus, showing the same n position near :1 1011mm building, ready for use, Fig. 2 is an end-e evatioiiof the apparatus, showing it foldedup and lowered onto thetruck for being stored or moved to'the place of fire, Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively a detail side-elevation and a sectionalplan-view of the rack-bars and the mechanism forliftingor lowering the movable platform on the truck, Fig. 5 represents an end-elevation, partly in section, ofthe Figs. 6 and 7 show an end view and a side-view of a simplified construction of the apparatus, in which the vertical adjustment of the platform is dispensed with, Fig. 8 is a plan view of Fig. 6, showing a modified arrangement of supporting the platform of "a larger sized apparatus, Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the apparatus shown in Figs. 6 and 8, drawn on a larger scale and showing the mattress-sections in extended position, ready for use, and Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the truck-frame and its laterally-swinging side-bars.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, a represents a truck of suitable size. The truck is composed of an oblong frame a the transverse "bolsters of which are supported on springs and a fifth wheel placed on the axle of the truck-wheels, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5. The oblong frame a is preferably braced at points interniediately of its length so as to impart to it the required degree of stiff ness. On the frame a are supported in suitable journal-bearings transverse crankshafts c, which are provided with pinions c that mesh with vertical rack-bars 0* which are guided in stationary ways 0 and attached at their upper ends by means of fastoning-plates d to the under-sideof a platform p. The rack-bars 0 are added in stationary uprights 0 having dovetailed guide-grooves in which corresponding tongues of the rack-bars are guided. By turning the crank-shafts 0 at the frontand rear ends of the truck the rack-bars and the platform are raised, the rack-bars being held in position by'mcans of ratchet-wheels c on the crank-shafts and pawls c which are ivoted totliefraine a as shown in F i e.

tion, their lower ends are even with the lower ends of the stationary uprights.

The platform p is made box-shaped and corresponds in length and width with the truck-frame (1 T e box-shaped platform p is closed at the ends and open at the sides. In rollers 1 applied to the ends of the platform p and at intermediate points of the same are guided slidable rails e which are capable of being moved in an autward direction at opposite sides, as shown in Fig. 5, the rails being connected by means of pivot-links e with rails e at the underside of the auxiliary platforms 7) that can be loweredon the rails e and then pushed in wardly into the box-shaped platform p so as to be out of the way. The rails e of the auxiliary platforms p rest when lowered, on stop-pins e of the lower sliderails e, while when they are raised they abut against stops e, as shown in Fig. 5. The auxiliary platforms p are rovided along their outer edges with longitudinal ledges or stop-rails p On the main and auxiliary platforms 1; p is supported a spring-cushioned and upholstered main-mattress m, which is provided with casters m at its bottom so as to move over fiat rails p on the stationary and auxiliary platformsp and p in one or the opposite direction until. the casters m arrive at one of the stoprails 11 according as the mattress is moved toward the left or right over the platforms. The mattress m is supported on a lower boxshaped portion m"-, in which strong cushionin springs s are arranged, as shown in dotte lines in Fig. 5. The springs s in connection withthe thickness of the upholstered mattress m ive the required degree of softness and resi iency to the mattress so as to permit the jumping on the same from a burning building without danger of injury..

To the upper opposite ends of the boxshaped frame of the mattress m are hlnged by means of stout strap-hinges n auxiliary mattress sections a which are supported on the mattress at when the fire-escape apparatus is in fold-up condition, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5. The hin 'ed mattresssections 11 are also provided wit box-shaped lower portions a having cushioning springs s and casters n at their outer corners, so

that they can be rolled. with the mattress m over the platforms 7), 7). When both mattress-sections n are moved from their folded position on the 'mattress minto their extended position sidewise of the same, a large spring-cushioned and upholstered surface is formed on which the persons who desire to save themselves from a burning building can jump with safety. \Vhen the truckframe is about 30 feet long and (3% feet wide, an upholstered mattress surface of 195 square-feet is obtained, which when the sidesections are of six feet, are added,makes the mattress surface 375 feet, which is sullicicnt for most practical purposes, especially when the truck-frame is moved close up to the burning building and below the windows from which the persons in danger have to jump on the mattress. \Vhen larger dimensions are selected for the platforms and mattresses. a larger mattress-surface is obtained. After the apparatus has been used, the mattress-sections are returned .into the folded position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, and the auxiliary platforms moved back into the main, platform, so as to be in condition to be returned to the station-house or other place of storage. The same effect may also be obtained by supporting the stationarv and extension-mattresses directly on the frame of the truck, in which case the platforms 7), p and the rack-bars and the mechanism for lifting or lowering the same are dispensed with. This arrangement isshown in Figs. 6 to 10. Fig. 7 shows two laterallyswing'ing side-bars b and F i s. 8 to 10 a plu rality of bars onbrackets pivoted to. the sides of the truck-frame. Otherwise, as regards the auxiliary mattress-sections, the arrangementvis the same as that shown in Figs. 1 to 5, only that. in place of the extensible platforms the side-bars b are used,

which are pivoted to opposite sides of the truck-frame and which are swung together in outward direction into a-position at right angles to the truck-frame by longitudinal handle-bars Z) that are pivoted to the sidebars so as to support the extensible mattresssections n, a In this case two additional hinged mattress-sections n are used which are supported on top of the intermediate mattress-sections, so as to furnish a 'still wider mattress when the auxiliary sections are placed in extended position, on the side bars, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 6 v

and in full lines in Fig. 9. By the simultaneous swinging of all the side-bars in outward direction the apparatus is quickly placed into condition for use. In this case the entire surface of the extended mattress is larger than the mattress-surface of the apparatus, shown in Figs. 1 to 5.,

If it be desired to obtain a mattresssurface of still greater length, the platform can be so-arranged that the auxiliary platform sections can b hinged and extended in longitudinal direction at the ends ofthe mainplatform. The platform can-also be constructed with longitudinal rails instead of transverse rails. In this case longitudinallyextensible instead of laterally-extensible mattress-sections would be used. When the HHIttI'OSSSQCtlOIIS should become' too large and unwieldly, they can be divided into smaller sections and provided with handles for turning the same.

The entire apparatus can be drawn by horses which are hitched to tongues t applied either to the front and rearaxles, so that the apparatus can be easily moved forward and backward without requiring turning." The truck may also be provided with a Suitable motor so that the entire apparatus .is driven by power, Without requiring sible spring-cushioned and upholstered inattress-sections supported on said plat form.

3. A fire-escape apparatus comprising a wheeled truck-frame, an extensible platform supported onsaid truck-frame, means for raising or lowering said platform, and extensible spring-cushioned and upholstered mattress-sections supported on the extensible )latforin.

4. fire-escape apparatus comprising a wheeled truck-frame, a centerplatform,

means for verticallyadjnsting the platform, laterally-extensible side platforins, and an extensible spring-cushioned and upholstered mattress-sections supported on said center and side-platforms.

, 5. A fire-esca e apparatus comprising a wvheeled truckrame, vertical guide-posts supported on the truck-frame, rack-bars -u1ded on sald posts, means fOY'ItLlSlllg or O lowering said rack-bars, an extensible platform supported on said truck, and an extensible spring-cushioned and upholstered mattress supported on said platform.v

(3. A fire-escape apparatus comprising a wheeled truck-frame, a box-shaped centerplatform; means for vertically adjusting the center-platform, auxiliary extension-platforms, means folmoving the same outwardly in line with the center platform, and an upholstered and spring-cushioned m'ain matlr cction, and hinged auxiliary mattress i. .ctions adapted to be moved over the main and extension platforms.

7. A lire-escape apparatus comprising a wlu-ehal lI'llt'l(-I[l2\ll10, a box-shaped center platt'ornn.means for raising or lowering the (-enteuplatt'orin on the lJIHflGfLEHIlC, laterally movable extension-platforms adapted to be moved into. the box-shaped mainplatform or extuided alongside of the same, said extension-platforms being provided -\\'ith longitudinal ledges or stop-rails at their outer ends, and an extensible mattress composedof a 'springcushioned and upholstered main-section and auxiliary springcushioned and upholstered sections hinged thereto, the center and auxiliary mattresssections being provided with casters for being moved iueither direction on'the main and extensioil-platforms.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, 1 have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

. OBIS FISCHER.

lVitnesses:

PAUL Gonrnn, I'IENRY J. Sunnnnm. 

